Hugs reduce negative emotions that day and the following one.
A simple hug is one of the easiest ways to reduce the stress caused by arguments.
People who received a hug on a day when they had an argument felt less bad about it, psychologists have found.
The research included 404 people who were asked about their daily conflicts and whether they had received any hugs.
The results showed that receiving a hug when a person had an argument helped reduce negative emotions that day and the following one.
The authors write:
“Receiving a hug on the day of conflict was associated with improved concurrent negative and positive affect and improved next day negative affect compared to days when conflict occurred but no hug was received.”
Dr Michael Murphy, the study’s first author, said:
“This research is in its early stages.
We still have questions about when, how, and for whom hugs are most helpful.
However, our study suggests that consensual hugs might be useful for showing support to somebody enduring relationship conflict.”
Other studies have shown the considerable benefits of interpersonal touch, including that with a romantic partner:
“…individuals assigned to various interpersonal touch manipulations with romantic partners report less distress and show reduced cardiovascular reactivity, cortisol secretion, and activation of brain regions associated with emotional and behavioral threat compared to those who did not engage in interpersonal touch with their partners.”
Related
The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE (Murphy et al., 2018).
